News

59th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett – Preparations in Full Swing !

7 hours to go until the take-off of the FAI World Long Distance Gas Balloon Championship. The launch of the 17 Teams representing 8 Nations is scheduled for today Friday, 28 August at 22:45 CEST (21:45 UTC) at the Horserace tracks (Hippodrome de Pau).

Pilots will have to inflate their balloons in very high temperatures, the forecast calls for 35 degrees centigrade.

In perfect weather conditions the teams are expected to launch into a moon-lit sky and take a heading to the North East. National anthems being played for each team will add to the emotional departure into the night-sky over Southern France. Within 45 minutes all teams should be airborne.

Please find following the Launch Sequence that had been drawn yesterday during the Opening Ceremony.

Team

First Pilot

Co-Pilot

1.

USA 02

Cheri White

Mark Sullivan

2.

POL 01

Krzysztof Zapart

Bazyli Dawidziuk

3.

SUI 02

Nicolas Tieche

Laurent Sciboz

4.

BEL 01

Phillipe De Cock

Geert Peirsman

5.

FRA 03

Benoit Pelard

Benoit Peterle

6.

GER 01

Wilhelm Eimers

Matthias Zenge

7.

AUT 01

Gerald Stürzlinger

Thomas Herndl

8.

ESP 01

Anulfo Gonzalez

Angel Aguirre

9.

USA 01

Philip Bryant

Clay Wilson

10.

POL 02

Mateusz Rekas

Jacek Bogdański

11.

SUI 01

Kurt Frieden

Pascal Witprächtiger

12.

BEL 02

Jurgen Dobbelaere

David Spildooren

13.

FRA 01

Vincent Leÿs

Christophe Houver

14.

GER 03

Himke Hilbert

Dominik Haggeney

15.

SUI 03

Walter Gschwendtner

Ernst Tschuppert

16.

FRA 02

Pascal Joubert

Hervé Moine

17.

GER 02

Heinz-Otto Lausch

Marion Lausch

Open and Closed Countries

The Event Director also announced the final decision on open and closed countries for this Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett.

Live Tracking

The website gordonbennett.aero will provide 24/7 live tracking with all the updates on the pilot’s routes. The chatbox on that tracking page offers the opportunity for comments and encouragements for the teams while flying in European skies.

The Swiss broadcaster La Télé will offer a live streaming of the launch today from 22:00 and will broadcast special programmes on over the weekend at 18.00.

FAI staff are in Pau on the scene and will update the Social Media with the most important information of the prestigious event. Follow us on Instagram and on the FAI or competition Facebook pages.